Need advice on diamond studs

[Lill_The_Thrill]

Hey Everyone!

I haven''t really posted here all that much, eventhough I''ve been lurking here A LOT! I''m becoming more and more addicted to this place.

My boyfriend has agreed to buy me some nice diamond studs for christmas, and I''m over the moon

. So I''ve started peeking at diamonds, and I think I want something in the .8-1.0 ctw range.

I came across Excel diamonds, and they seem to have really good prices. But I would also love to go with Whiteflash, since I''ve heard very good things about their remarkable service. Then only thing I''m unsure about is paying a premium for the ACA. I don''t know if i''m omfortable doing that, since I want the biggest bang for my BF''s buck. I''d happily pay it for an ER, but I don''t know about studs. I feel kind of confused, do You think it''s worth it for studs? Isn''t it enough if they''re "just" ideal Cut/H&A?

I found some ideal cut H&A diamonds that were .5 ct each, I/J, SI1/SI2 for $900-$1000.
I found 1 diamond on the WF website that fits my criteria, an Expert Selection, .5 ct, I, VS2, and it''s $1457

Do You think there''ll be a big difference in sparkle-factor between an ACA and an Ideal Cut H&A? Should I go with Excel or WF?

And also, are there any Excel-customers here? could You please tell me about Your experience buying from them!? I''d appreciate it alot.
I''d appreciate any help or advice that i could get....

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,

I have both ACA and ES stones. The ACAs are set into stud earings and the ES is in a pendant. Both are gorgeous and would make for ideal stud earrings. Cut is really important w/earrings especially since they easily get covered with hair products/hair oils, but ES AND most ideal-cut stones aren't any less of quality (IMO) than ACAs and as long as you clean them frequently, you would be okay with non-branded ideals. Just make sure to get ideal scope images so you can be sure the stones are have very little light leakage!

The studs I have are each .41 and I saved LOTS of money by purchasing stones under the .50 mark. You pay a huge mark-up with stones .50 and above. I was able to afford F SI1s for my earrings and an E VS2 with my pendant by going slightly smaller - BUT that is my preference (color over size). Many would rather choose J stones that are a bit bigger and with the ones you picked out, sounds like you've found a fabulous deal.

 

[Lill_The_Thrill]

Date: 11/27/2007 12:28:13 PM
Author: MC
Hi,

I have both ACA and ES stones. The ACAs are set into stud earings and the ES is in a pendant. Both are gorgeous and would make for ideal stud earrings. Cut is really important w/earrings especially since they easily get covered with hair products/hair oils, but ES AND most ideal-cut stones aren't any less of quality (IMO) than ACAs and as long as you clean them frequently, you would be okay with non-branded ideals. Just make sure to get ideal scope images so you can be sure the stones are have very little light leakage!

The studs I have are each .41 and I saved LOTS of money by purchasing stones under the .50 mark. You pay a huge mark-up with stones .50 and above. I was able to afford F SI1s for my earrings and an E VS2 with my pendant by going slightly smaller - BUT that is my preference (color over size). Many would rather choose J stones that are a bit bigger and with the ones you picked out, sounds like you've found a fabulous deal.

Thank You for your response!

I think I'm going to stay just below the .5 mark. I haven't seen ANY ideal cut or let alone H&A stones, I live in Sweden, and the best You can get here is a good cut, and it it'll break your bank. I was at a local jewelry store the other day, and tried on a pair of 1 ctw studs, H color, SI-clarity, in 18 carat WG settings (nothing fancy) they were approx $5000!!!!!! i dropped my jaw to the floor when I heard the price, the funny part was that the salesperson didn't know the color/clarity/cut, and she seemed to "look down on me" when I asked about them, telling me the best cut they had was "good cut" and that's what the average swede can pay for, and went on saying that there's really no need to bring in ideal cuts/H&A because the naked eye can't see a difference between good/ideal. ?!?!?!?!